"Julian comes from a good family and is highly motivated to grow
as a student-athlete," Dancer said. "He is relatively inexperienced
competitively, and we feel that in our training environment and with our
schedule, he will blossom into a formidable athlete. In addition, he brings a
toughness and athleticism thatwill challenge our entire team on a daily
basis. Julian joins our group of young guns attempting to put their stamp
on the Illini program."

Childers, a four-time IHSA state qualifier, is ranked 58th in the
nation and fifth inIllinois by TennisRecruiting.net. He is 61-28 over the past
year, includingfour wins over blue-chip prospects, and finished runner-up in
singles at the 2012 IHSA state tournament.

Childers, along with third-ranked Hiltzik, No. 12 Page and No. 50
Jesse, will look tohelp the Orange and Blue throughout 2012-13.